Making Homemade Treats for Wild Birds: A Fun and Rewarding Activity

Providing food for wild birds is a wonderful way to connect with nature right in your own backyard. Watching colorful songbirds flock to your feeders gives a feeling of joy and serenity. Going a step further and making your own homemade bird treats can be a fun rewarding project for people of all ages.

There are many benefits to making your own wild bird treats

• You can control the quality of ingredients Homemade treats allow you to select high-quality, nutritious ingredients that are safe for birds. You avoid preservatives, artificial colors, and other additives commonly found in commercial bird treats.

• It’s economical. Making your own bird treats at home saves money compared to buying pre-made ones from the store. The basic ingredients like bird seed, peanut butter, and suet are affordable.

• You can customize treats. Homemade treats let you tweak recipes to attract specific birds you want to view in your yard. You can add nuts, fruit, or other ingredients loved by your favorite feathered friends.

• It’s a creative activity. Making wild bird treats lets you and your family use your imagination and artistic flair. Kids especially will love creating fun shapes, sizes, and designs.

• You’ll feel a sense of satisfaction. Giving food that you made yourself gives you a sense of purpose and pride as you feed people in your backyard.

Equipment Needed

You don’t need much specialized equipment to whip up homemade bird treats:

• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Stirring spoon
• Knife for chopping ingredients
• Cookie cutters or other molds for shaping (optional)
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Twine, ribbon, pipe cleaners for hanging

Key Ingredients to Have on Hand

Certain ingredients form the base for many homemade bird treat recipes:

• Bird seed – Black oil sunflower seeds are a favorite of many birds. Mixes with other seeds like millet, cracked corn, peanuts appeal to diverse species.

• Suet – Rendered beef fat provides calories and energy for birds during cold weather. Purchase suet from a pet store or render your own from raw beef fat.

• Peanut butter – A good source of fat and protein for birds. Opt for all-natural brands without added sugars. Consider sunflower butter for people with peanut allergies.

• Cornmeal: Gives treats body and helps them keep their shape. Look for a medium-grind yellow cornmeal.

• Flour – Whole wheat or oat flour works well. Skip baking mixes with leavening agents.

• Oats – Quick oats add fiber and texture. Avoid instant oatmeal with added sugar.

• Fruit – Chopped raisins, cranberries, apples, oranges provide natural sweetness.

• Nuts – Chopped walnuts, almonds, pecans offer healthy fats.

Recipes for Homemade Bird Treats

Here are some simple recipes to try making at home for your backyard birds:

Basic Bird Seed Dough

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup rendered suet or peanut butter
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 cups birdseed

Stir dry ingredients together. Add suet and water. Mix until a dough forms, adding more flour if needed. Stir in birdseed. Roll dough into balls or press into cookie cutters and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 300°F for 20-25 minutes until hardened.

Peanut Butter Pinecones

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 6 large pinecones
• 1 cup birdseed

Spread peanut butter generously between the pinecone petals. Roll in birdseed to coat. Place on parchment paper and freeze until hardened. Hang outdoors from trees or eaves with twine.

Fruit and Nut Suet Cakes

• 2 cups rendered suet
• 2 cups cornmeal
• 1 cup chopped mixed nuts
• 1/2 cup raisins or cranberries
• Birdseed, for coating

Melt suet in a pan or microwave. Stir in cornmeal, nuts and fruit. Pour into muffin tins lined with cupcake papers. Freeze until hardened. Remove papers and roll in birdseed to coat.

Oaty Clusters

• 2 cups quick oats
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• Birdseed, for coating

Combine oats, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Drop tablespoon-sized clusters onto wax paper. Freeze until hardened. Roll in birdseed to coat. Hang outdoors with pipe cleaners.

Tips for Success

Follow these tips when crafting your homemade bird treats:

• Make treats in small batches so ingredients stay fresh. Refrigerate or freeze unused portions.

• Adjust recipes as needed if dough or batter is too dry or sticky. Add flour or water a bit at a time until reaching desired consistency.

• Use parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Treats won’t stick like they can on greased pans.

• Chill treats before baking. This helps them firmly hold their shape.

• Let treats cool and harden fully before hanging outside. Soft treats will crumble.

• Consider your climate. Add more suet or peanut butter in colder regions for high-energy foods.

• Store uneaten treats in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer to prevent spoilage.

Get the Whole Family Involved

Making homemade bird treats is a fun hands-on activity for children and adults alike. Here are some ways to get the whole family engaged:

• Let kids shape dough or batter into fun designs using cookie cutters or their hands.

• Have a friendly competition to see who can craft the most unique and creative treats.

• Ask children to draw pictures of backyard birds to decorate treat packaging.

• Encourage kids to think of whimsical names for your homemade treats like “Cardinal Cookies”.

• Take the kids outside to watch birds devour your handcrafted goodies. Seeing the results offers great satisfaction.

• Take photos of family members preparing treats and admiring visiting birds to compile into a memory book.

The whole process of crafting treats by hand, decorating them, admiring the wild birds that enjoy your creations, and looking back on the experience through photos or a journal provides wonderful bonding time with family.

Making treats for your backyard birds takes a little time and effort, but provides immense enjoyment and rewards. Follow the tips and recipes in this article to get started cooking up nutritious bird treats your feathered friends will gobble right up. Soon you’ll have happy, healthy birds visiting your yard frequently to fuel up on your homemade goodies.